Optical device operable with the deep UV and other regions of the electro magnetic spectrum (UVA, UVB, UVC, VIS, NIR, IR) have been of interest for many years. Most of the conventional available optics are not able to whithstand the great energy and thermal dynamics associates with cooling a high-power light beam to water, air, or combination of liquids and gases. Most types of glasses have been tried, and wide varieties of high grade fused silica are available to deliver deep UV light. However, these elements are expensive, and are limited to the energy levels that could be delivered. Further more, spatial limitations and damage threshold limitation have been imposing strict limitations as to the ability of quartz type and synthetic glass elements to deliver the energy levels often required for commercial material processing, lithography, and photo induced chemistry. More specifically, strict limitations to produce a UV reflective coating, have hindered progress in this field, leaving many spatial processing only available from quartz 7 and expensive optical grade polymers, and crystals, all of which are mainly used for processing and manipulating light beams in other spectral regions, such as can be seen in the VIS, NIR, IR (i.e., such as in telecomm, & IT).
Powerful or accurate light sources (including one or more lasers, or hybrid light sources including lamp(s) and laser(s)) often require expensive optics and optical grade manufacturing methodologies using HGFS (High Grade Fused Silica), SHGFS (Synthetic Fused Silica), and expensive semi-conductor coatings often applying several layers of AR/RC (Anti-Reflecting/Reflecting type coatings). Devices using such light sources are subject to physical limitations, photo damage and deterioration affecting all optical components in the beam path and thus often cannot reach the desired performance parameters, damage threshold, and physical properties associated with truly industrial, continuous, repeatable operation. These limitations have dictated to designers, producers and end users to integrate expensive cooling units negatively effecting energy consumption, wall plug efficiencies, increasing periodical maintenance and replacements, while increasing capital cost associated with devices using currently limited methodologies, such that are effected by thermal dynamics and optical damage thresholds.
Current evolution in laser, electro optics, electronics, and solid state electronics have pushed energies higher, and increase substantially time domain optronic manipulation capabilities (i.e. creating more peak power densities), and increase demand for wide variety of coupling, switching methodologies. Currently used optical grade production techniques rely on high temperature, skilled engineering, and considerable infrastructure, and energy demanding production sites limiting the scope and commercial and industrial high power laser applications, laser induced photochemistry, and material processing applications requiring lasers operating at high average, high peak powers, often at very high repetition rates.
Currently used production methodologies for high grade optical elements mainly utilize high energy driven temperature generators, heavy machinery, heaters driven mold processes, furnaces, often pause safety threats, and expensive surface processing, and coating treatments for polishing the finished element or lenses.
Current commercial efforts aimed at manufacturing such high damage threshold UVC optics, have failed to provide industrially acceptable high quality, high damage threshold, optical grade UVC optics and repeatable optronic processing free of thermal conventional limitation of optical grade materials.
Several technologies exist for the provision of surface treatment applications. These currently used technologies introduce strict safety, reliability, and credibility and efficiency limitations due to their chemical, residual, often toxic, expensive, slow, labor and material driven procedures and processes. Further more, current methodologies for surface treatment of instrumentation is cumbersome, and could not easily be adapted to cover applications requiring actual treatment of physiological damage to tissues, and/or for cuts, sores, wounds, to living human beings. Further more, in the field, or as in during critical medical procedures under time constraints, wherein often there is no sufficient time available to wait for certain chemical action to proceed (such as when using biocides, or chemical disinfectants), or for instrumentation to be returned from central, often far autoclaving, and disinfection equipment centre (i.e. such as in hospitals, and medical centers, or clinics), failed to provide adequate safety measures for vital tools and instrumentation, often results in making their associated working cycles longer, less efficient, requiring substantial replacement hardware components, and leads to unnecessary manual procedures, and subsequent expenses in human resources, and high energy consumption (high capital, and operation costs) as well as potential failure of vital medical procedures.
Most medical instrumentation is in need of sterilization, or disinfection leaving bacteria, and/or noxious species at a sufficiently low concentration according to standards, health, and safety regulations. Further more, medical instrumentation used in wide variety of medical procedures is currently being treated with chemical disinfectants. As heat already being considered as one of the most expensive disinfectant, or sterilizing methodology often requiring long and wasteful work cycles schedule. More specifically, the long time cycle chemical disinfectant takes for effective inactivation of DNA & RNA replication sequences or for oxidizing thus inactivating noxious species fuels the drive for new more efficient, non chemical methodologies.
Currently used methodologies utilizing UV light for disinfection, and photo-treatment is making use of (CW) Continuous Wave, often polychromatic light sources, most of which having radial emission, and not sufficient peak power (i.e. such as generated by P.W. type light sources). More specifically, the principle means for the generation of Ultra Violet light for disinfection and for photo-treatment is by using Mercury type light sources, or lamps. These lamps generate continuous type of light (i.e. CW), and the majority of the light they generate (their peak emission) (mercury) is at the region of about 254 nm. These light sources/amps, thus do not have the required wavelength for offering efficient disinfection, and sterilization of wide varieties of medical instrumentation. More specifically, current methodologies for disinfection and sterilization of medical instrumentation include heat, Gamma rays, X-rays, Y-rays, radio waves, Ultra Violet, microwaves, chemicals. These methodologies while offering currently implemented solutions, imposed strict limitations on the device performance.
Conventional treatment technologies available today include: Heat, ozonation, chlorination, oxidation, Gamma rays, X rays, Y rays, UVA, B, C photons, radio waves, micro-waves, and several types of ionizing radiation, oxidation technologies, AOTs (Advance Oxidation Technologies such as using H2O2/UV, TiO2). These currently used treatment technologies are often dangerous, expensive, and require substantial periodical maintenance and replacements. Furthermore, instrumentation using such ionizing radiation types requires sophisticated support means, and infrastructure safety measurements, further complicating design criteria, and implementation. Several of these radiation types have already confirmed as causing cancer, and public confidence in these technologies at manufacturing plants is declining. Stringent legislation and standards further fuel the need for alternative, safer, more economical methodologies for non interfering treatment. Conventional chemical technologies are limited since there is always the need to clear the liquids and gases (of the “harmful” chemicals), and remove them from the specific volume to be consumed (i.e. after disinfection, or purification have occurred) once they have finished their useful cycle, or their disinfection, and oxidation activities.
The present invention takes advantage of the known technique of guiding light, especially UV radiation, via a liquid medium (e.g., water). Guiding light inside water has been used for the purpose of decorative functional fountains and illuminated falls, such that can be found in ancient and/or modern architecture. Various waveguides for transmitting UV radiation have been developed and are disclosed for example in the following U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,009,382; 5,412,750; 5,546,493; 6,163,641; 6,314,226; 6,418,257; and 6,507,688.
The use of a liquid jet or stream to conduct light has been proposed. For example, WO 85/05167 discloses a liquid outlet adapted to provide lighting effects and/or for illumination, that may be used in the fields of domestic plumbing ware as water taps, faucets, drinking fountains; ornamental and display fountains; beverage dispensers; in laboratory or industrial processes. According to this technique, light of arbitrary wavelength(s) is introduced into a jet or stream of liquid, either hollow, solid or subdivided, such that this light is totally or partially conducted by the jet or stream. A light source organ is placed inside the liquid-stream close to the outlet, such that the light source organ is in heat exchange relationship with the liquid flowing through the outlet and the light output into the liquid stream is maximized, or at a distance from the outlet but optically coupled to that outlet along any curved or bent pathway by means of some auxiliary light guiding mechanism.
WO 95/29300 discloses an apparatus and method for introducing electromagnetic waves (especially visible light and infrared or ultraviolet light) into water or water streams in sanitary installations such as shower systems, tabs and bath tubs. When the electromagnetic waves are visible light, the illumination of water takes place in one or combination of two forms: illumination by light reflection from the turbulent or broken water streams and illumination by light carried by the unbroken water streams or waters, where the electromagnetic waves being introduced into the water streams are able to be carried and guided by the water streams because of higher optical refractive index of the water compared to the air. Part of sanitary installations such as part or whole of the shower head is illuminated by the light sources. The colours and/or patterns and/or the intensities of the light source is able to be adjusted manually or automatically according to certain water conditions such as the temperature or the flowrate/pressure or cleanness of the water in use. The optical source is placed at the shower/tap head or separated from it. In the latter case, reflective mirror means or optical wave guide means or fiber optic means is used to guide the optical energy from the light source to the appropriate water streams. When the light source resembles sun light, combined sun bathing and shower unit can result.